← All supplements

Lutein

Supplement carotenoid general nutrition
Aka: marigold extract, Lutemax
Brands seen in Singapore: California Gold Nutrition, Doctor's Best, Nutricost, NOW Foods, Sports Research
Third-party tested: Sports Research certifies other products with NSF Certified for Sport, but nothing for lutein.Certification is granted per product, so check the tub you actually own. Not being listed is not the same as failing.
Not medical advice. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before you start, stop or change the timing of anything you take.
How to use
What it’s for
Raises macular pigment; areds2 saw no extra amd benefit
When to take
Daily
Studied for
Pooled mpod trials ran 3–12 months
Pros & cons
Pros
  • Swapping beta-carotene for it cut late amd 20% at 10y
  • 5 to <20 mg a day raised macular pigment in pooled RCTS
  • Lowest-intake group saw 26% lower advanced-amd risk
Cons
  • Adding it to the areds mix gave no extra benefit
  • Under 5 mg a day showed no measurable change
  • Cognition: pooled effect was not significant
Sources
  1. NIH ODS — Vitamin A and Carotenoids (Health Professional): AREDS2 result · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “However, this follow-up study showed that adding lutein (10 mg) and zeaxanthin (2 mg) or omega-3 fatty acids to the formulation produced no additional benefits.”
  2. NIH ODS — Vitamin A and Carotenoids: 10-year AREDS2 follow-up · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “After 10 years, participants who had taken the AREDS2 supplement with lutein and zeaxanthin had an additional 20% reduced risk of progression to late AMD compared with those who took the supplement containing beta-carotene.”
  3. NIH ODS — Vitamin A and Carotenoids: low dietary intake subgroup · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “participants with the lowest dietary intakes of lutein and zeaxanthin had a 26% lower risk of advanced AMD when they took a supplement containing these two carotenoids than those who did not take a supplement with these carotenoids”
  4. NIH ODS — Vitamin A and Carotenoids: lutein and zeaxanthin in the retina · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Lutein and zeaxanthin (which are not precursors of vitamin A), in particular, accumulate in the retina, the tissue in the eye that is damaged by AMD.”
  5. NIH ODS — Vitamin A and Carotenoids: who the AREDS trial enrolled · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “participants with a high risk of developing advanced AMD (i.e., those who had intermediate AMD or who had advanced AMD in one eye)”
  6. NIH ODS — Vitamin A and Carotenoids: non-provitamin A carotenoids · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Other carotenoids in food, such as lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, are not converted into vitamin A and are referred to as non-provitamin A carotenoids”
  7. NIH ODS — Vitamin A and Carotenoids: no UL for carotenoids · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The FNB has not established ULs for beta-carotene and other provitamin A carotenoids”
  8. The Effect of Lutein/Zeaxanthin Intake on Human Macular Pigment Optical Density: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Wilson et al., Adv Nutr 2021; 46 studies, n=3,189) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The pooled mean increase in MPOD was 0.04 units … among studies evaluating 5 to <20 mg/d of lutein/zeaxanthin and was 0.11 units … among studies evaluating ≥20 mg/d of lutein/zeaxanthin for 3-12 mo”
  9. Wilson et al., Adv Nutr 2021 — doses under 5 mg/d · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “There was no statistically significant change in MPOD among studies evaluating <5 mg/d of total lutein/zeaxanthin intake”
  10. Dietary Lutein and Cognitive Function in Adults: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (Li & Abdel-Aal, Molecules 2021) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Dietary lutein was associated with slight improvements in cognitive performance in complex attention …, executive function … and memory …, but its effect was not significant.”
  11. HSA — Guidelines on Prohibited and Restricted Ingredients in Health Supplements and Traditional Medicines, GL-CHPB-1-012 Rev 001 (Oct 2025), Annex A/B — searched, no row for this ingredient · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The objective of this guideline is to highlight the substances of concern when used in HS and TM and is not meant to be an exhaustive list.”
  12. iHerb Singapore — Lutein category (default order, 1 - 48 of 109 results) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “California Gold Nutrition, Lutein with Zeaxanthin from Marigold Extract, 60 Veggie Softgels … Doctor's Best, Lutein, Lutemax 2020, 20 mg … Nutricost, Zeaxanthin with Lutein … NOW Foods, Lutein & Zeaxanthin … Sports Research, Lutein + Zeaxanthin”
Report a correction View as JSON

Updated 2026-08-30. Every line above traces to a numbered source. Kozen-X is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. It lists what published sources have written down — nothing more. A pair not listed is unrecorded, not cleared. Before you start, stop or re-time anything, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.